Responding to Pope Francis' call to mercy and encounter, this book is an invitation to consider our individual responses to harm, our communal responses to crime and how our criminal justice system falls short of promoting human dignity, hope and healing. Through scripture, personal stories and eye-opting facts, each chapter encourages prayerful contemplation about ways to prioritize human dignity and the common good when responding to crime, incarceration and the use of the death penalty in the United States.

CMN's book list includes some of our favorite selections covering both the death penalty and restorative justice. Use this list as a guide to learn more about these topics, or as a tool to help your parish or community reading group engage with these issues at a deeper level.

David Matzko McCarthy’s Death Penalty and Discipleship is a faith formation resource to help communities and individuals reflect more deeply on capital punishment. Particularly recommended for parish social justice committees or book clubs, Death Penalty and Discipleship incorporates Scripture, Catholic social teaching, and contemporary issues that focus on the meaning of God’s self-giving in Jesus Christ and the implications of God’s redemptive work in our lives.

CMN’s Mercy in Action Project seeks to promote clemency for those facing imminent execution. By joining the Mercy in Action Project you will receive monthly alerts with information on upcoming executions and tools to advocate for clemency in those cases as well as prayerful resources. Join us as we save lives on death row! The Mercy in Action Project is being partially supported by a grant from The Consistent Life Network, an international pro-life, pro-peace coalition.